Aside from having an amazing name, Marshmallow Laser Feast (MLF) is known for creating stunning, interactive visual collaborations. Most often, their work is in coordination with other artists / outside organizations where MLF tends to work toward helping their goal to be achieved through the innovative use of new / modern media, especially VR and AR environments. They commonly create installations that utilise live-action, real-time simulations that give each user a unique experience as they become engulfed in a totally new world. Ultimately, they aim to expand the realm of human experience by providing access to visualizations, points of view, or generally sensory experiences that would otherwise be impossible to see as a human.

Distortions in Space-Time:

Working with composer Arthur Jeffes and astrophysicist Samaya Nissanke, MLF made Distortions in Space-Time in an attempt to recreate the phenomenon of black holes, gravity wells, and generally cosmic activity the likes of which man cannot plainly see. The waves you see are representations of the otherwise invisible gravity waves that constantly permeate through the fabric of reality. The two objects in the middle are planetary bodies circling one another caught in eachother’s gravity fields which also causes the indents below them.

Treehugger:

In coordination with the Sequoia National Park, MLF created Treehugger, an immersive VR experience centred around the giant sequoia trees. Using 3D imaging scans, MLF has recreated one tree with incredible accuracy and a bit of creative licensing to allow participants to truly experience it like never before. The longer you hug the tree, the further you fall into “treetime”, an alternate dimension of existence within the tree where all of it’s pieces are made clear, almost like the nervous system of a person in an X-ray. In this way, it becomes easier to see that the tree is itself alive just as we are alive.

A Colossal Wave:

Working with Presstube and Headspace Studio, MLF also created Colossal Wave, an interactive VR experience where individuals stand under VR umbrellas and can witness a plethora of underwater lifeforms by making noises. The louder you are, the more life appears ultimately culminating in an explosion of life when a bowling ball is dropped from a tower onto a crash cymbal. It is a veritable “big bang” under the sea.

Meet Your Creator:

Desigining and creating the opening show for the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase in Cannes Lions Festival, MLF worked to make an “ethereal” experience by real-time tracking drones holding mirrors with spotlights in order to create this live action, stage show. Excited by the idea of appropriating new technologies, MLF designed the show entirely digitally and then programmed the drones from those simulations; allowing them to quickly tweak the show as needed as everything worked in real time.

In the Eyes of the Animal:

In collaboration with Migrations, RSPB Cymru, and the Cardiff City Council, MLF produced In the Eyes of the Animal (ITEOTA); another 360 immersive VR experience where people get to see the world from the point of view of animals. In a similar way to Treehugger, ITEOTA aims to bridge the gap between humans and nature. Participants can become a mosquito, a dragonfly, a frog, and an owl, each with unique ways of seeing the world based on current data on how these species sense the world. 3D imaging scans and audio recordings were extensively taken using drones to capture the act of flying. The exhibit was first installed directly in the woods where groups were led to see virtual nature while in the real nature with an initial goal of getting passers-by to break from their routines and see a new form of life.